The Education of Ruby Claire
by TayTay4936
Summary: Sequel to For My Lover. What happens when Ruby learns the truth about her parents' and uncles' past? E&C, Junk. Note: Chapter 2 (the third chapter, technically) has been updated/changed from its first posting.
1. Prologue

It was about 13 years after Adam, Jay, Phil, and Jeff had made their escape to Canada when the news came.

Phil was moving around the kitchen, trying to wake himself up while his hyperactive four-year-old daughter followed his every move.

He looked at his cell phone when it rang, wondering who would be calling him so early. He saw that it was Matt and quickly answered.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Did you hear the news?" Matt's voice was fast and excited, leaving Phil confused...far too confused for the early hour.

"What are you talking about?" he asked distractedly as he got himself some juice and milk for Ruby.

"They reversed the laws! Congress declared the anti-homosexual laws unconstitutional and they've been overturned! Everyone in jails and centers are being released. It's over, Phil. It's over."

Phil's eyes grew wide, but he couldn't find words.

It had been 13 years, but they all remembered it like it was yesterday. 13 years they'd had to rebuild their lives. 13 years they had to worry about their friends who were in their same situation but had stayed in the States.

And now it was over.

He talked with Matt for a few more minutes before hanging up.

"Ruby, baby, why don't you watch TV for a little bit? I'm gonna go wake up your father."

The little girl nodded with a smile before bouncing over to the couch with her cup. "Okay, Papa."

Phil put the TV on cartoons before running up the stairs to tell Jeff the news.

He entered their bedroom and couldn't help but smile at the sight. Jeff was still asleep, but he could tell he would be waking soon. It never took either of them long to sense when the other wasn't in bed with them, and Phil could tell from the furrowed brow on his lover's face that even in sleep, he was not happy about it.

He climbed back onto the bed and began kissing Jeff's neck softly.

"Nero...babe, wake up," he whispered. "Wake up, come on. I got something to tell you."

Jeff's eyes finally opened as Phil was placing kisses along his shoulder.

"Mmm...mornin'" Jeff smiled, seeing his love first thing in the morning.

"Morning, my love." Phil's wide grin only made Jeff smile more.

"What's got you so happy this morning?" he asked.

"It's over."

Jeff's brow crinkled in confusion. "What? What are you talking about?"

After Phil had explained Matt's call, Jeff's grin matched his lover's.

They both knew they wouldn't go back; they had built a life here...their dream life, but just the knowledge that they were free where they came from now...it was a blissful feeling.

"Stay home today," Jeff finally asked. "I'll call the people whose house I was supposed to work on today and just postpone it until tomorrow. Get someone to cover for you and stay home with me."

Phil smiled. How could he refuse? They'd both earned it. They needed to celebrate...in the best way they knew how.

"Alright," he answered with a smirk. "After I bring Ruby to school, I'll come right back. And I'll be yours for the rest of the day. Lance or someone can pick Ruby up and keep her for the day once she gets out of school."

Jeff smiled. "Sounds like a plan."

Phil got off the bed and returned downstairs to check on Ruby and finish getting her ready for the day. Jeff leaned over and grabbed his phone.

He had to make sure Adam and Jay had heard too.

* * *

Jay blindly reached for the phone ringing beside the bed. He didn't even know whose it was. He just knew that it was early enough that whoever was calling was gonna be sorry.

"Hello?" he asked groggily.

Jeff laughed on the other side of the line. He figured Jay would be the one answering Adam's phone at this hour.

"Hey, Jay. I know you both were probably sleepin', but guess what?"

As Jeff began telling him the news, Jay's face split into a grin of his own.

It was about damn time.

* * *

After waking Adam and telling him what had happened, the younger blonde suggested they do the same thing their friends were doing and stay in bed all day.

To his surprise, Adam had a different idea.

"I wanna go in today. I wanna tell our story."

"What?" Jay asked, confused.

"I wanna go in the studio and tell our story over the air. You know how much my listeners relate to us from me talking about you on air all the time. They feel like they know us...But they don't know about what we went through. I can finally tell them now...tell the world. And I want to."

Jay smiled proudly. His baby never ceased to amaze him.

"Alright. But you know we still got hours to kill before you have to be there."

The leer on his lover's face instantly sent a shiver down Adam's spine. He smirked before he felt himself being thrown down onto the bed.

As he looked up at his man above him, he could just feel that today would be perfect.

* * *

When Adam finally left for his 1pm show, Jay called Jeff's cell and told him what Adam was planning to talk about on the air today.

The two newer Canadians found the station for Adam's show and listened in intently, Jeff holding Phil tightly as they prepared for their past to be brought fresh to the surface.

* * *

"Hey, guys," Adam spoke into the microphone. "I hate to tell you this, but today is gonna be one of my music-free days where you just get to listen to my ugly voice. I don't know how many of you guys have heard yet..."

As Adam continued on, Jay, Jeff, and Phil listened closely from their homes as he shared their story from his point of view with the world. Of course, he could only speak for what he himself had gone through, but he still shared what he felt the other three must have dealt with.

When he was done, he figured he would just leave and go home, ending the show early, but he was shocked that every single phone line was lit up.

People were calling in from all over. Men, women, kids, young, old. They all wanted to talk to him.

Over his time at the station, he had truly shared his life with his listeners. They all knew who Jay was, who their family and friends were. They knew who Jeff and Phil were, when Ruby was born, so a lot of those who called in were extremely upset to hear what they had all gone through. Several women and some grown men were outright crying. Some even called in and talked about how they once lived in the States and had to get out, or they had gay or bisexual relatives there they worried about constantly.

By the time the show ended, Adam felt a true sense of liberation. On his way out, he stopped and made sure to grab the tape of the show. This was one he definitely wanted to hold on to for years to come.

TBC

* * *

Okay...I'm not sure about this, but the muse hit so I figured I should write this opening before the inspiration fades away. The rest of this story will take place in the future...about 12 years after this little intro, but this was important to set the rest up. I hope you guys enjoyed it. I would love your feedback.

P.S. I have a 9-10 page paper due tomorrow that I haven't started...I wrote this instead. This is gonna be a long night. ;) Thanks for sticking with me!


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **Just a quick note to help with the timeline of this fic. The majority of For My Lover took place in 2012. Then Ruby was born 9 years later in 2021 when Adam and Jay were 48, Jeff was 44, and Phil was 43. The laws were repealed 4 years later in 2025. This chapter skips forward 12 years, where Ruby is 16, Adam and Jay are 64, Jeff is 60, and Phil is 59.

* * *

**12 years later**

"Oh for crying out loud! Do you think you guys could go _five minutes _without shoving your tongues down each other's throat?! I thought that kinda thing was supposed to stop once you got to be your age."

Phil and Jeff pulled apart, laughing at their daughter's halfhearted tirade. They both turned to look at her, Phil absentmindedly petting the hair at the back of Jeff's head.

"Hey!" he called in mock offense. "We may be "old," but we ain't dead!"

Ruby just rolled her eyes, an exasperated smile on her lips. It wasn't like this was anything new. It happened practically every day. She really couldn't turn around without seeing her parents kissing or holding each other.

Secretly, she loved it and had to admire them. The parents of most of her friends were either divorced or just ran their day-to-day lives like robots. None of them ever displayed the kind of love for each other that her parents did. She only hoped that when she was their age, she had someone she could embarrass her own kids with.

Phil removed his arms from around Jeff's neck and slid off his lap, Jeff turning in his stool.

"So how was school today?" Phil asked as he walked over to his daughter, the two of them sharing a hug before he kissed her on the head.

"It was fine. Boring. We have a project to do, so I figured we'd work on it here." She motioned towards the other three teenagers who had come in with her.

"Yeah, sure. You guys want anything?"

After Jeff had gotten all four of the kids drinks and something to eat, they began working at one of the tables.

"So have you asked them yet?" one of the girls whispered to Ruby, who shook her head.

"No...I'm working on it."

"Girl, come on! If you wait too long, you'll miss the deadline."

"I know. I know. I just gotta work up to it. You don't understand."

Phil and Jeff watched the entire conversation silently, amazed both girls actually thought they couldn't hear them. They finally decided to make their presence known.

"What haven't you asked us about?" Jeff asked, causing all four teenagers to jump slightly in surprise.

"Uh...uh...nothing, Daddy." Ruby internally cursed herself for not talking more quietly. Now she was gonna have to tell them before she had fully developed her plan.

"Ruby..."

She sighed. That was it. Whenever her dad used that tone of voice, she had no choice but to come clean. He was a master.

"Well...um...you see, as kind of an end of the year present, my Contemporary History teacher wants to take us on a field trip to see a lot of the places where events we've been learning about took place..."

Her eyes were cast down the whole time. She just knew what her parents' answer was going to be and she was far too nervous to see the answer in their eyes.

"And where exactly would you be going on this field trip?" Phil asked hesitantly, fearing he already knew the answer.

"Well...each group would have a different route, but we'd all start on the west side of the US and continue across the country to the east coast..."

"Absolutely not." Jeff's voice was quick and firm.

"But Daddy..." Ruby was doing her best to not sound like she was whining. She just didn't understand why her parents were so set on never letting her visit the States.

"No buts, young lady. We've talked about this. You're 16 years old. We don't have problems with you traveling as long as you're with responsible people, but you have to stay out of the US."

"But _why_?" she asked exasperatedly.

"Because that's our decision," Jeff answered decisively, getting up to go get some stuff in the back of the bakery.

She knew she wouldn't have much better luck, but turning on the puppy dog eyes...her dad's puppy dog eyes, she tried anyway.

"Papa..."

"Oh no," Phil quickly cut her off. "Do not give me those eyes. Your dad and I have talked about this. We both don't feel comfortable with you going."

She growled in frustration before returning her attention to her project.

Even though he was still firm in his conviction, Phil couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

His daughter had definitely picked up his temper.

She was the spitting image of Jeff, with bright emerald eyes and long blonde hair (which had a streak of pink in it this week), but her personality was a combination of both of them.

She was friendly and compassionate like Jeff, but also determined and motivated like Phil. Jeff always jokingly referred to her as "Phil's little protege." She had told her parents that she had decided to be straight edge when she was just 13. Jeff had later thrown his hands up in the air with a laugh. Of course he would wind up having two straight edge people in his house.

It was when she started high school that she decided she wanted to be an addictions counselor. Her parents had told her about what her dad had gone through and it had broken her heart. She wanted to do what she could to help other people who were going through what he had. She had pretended to not see the tears in her dad's eyes when she told them. She knew both of them had probably never been more proud of her than in that moment.

Her stubbornness, needless to say, was something she had inherited from both of them.

She and her friends continued to work on their project before the other three left, Ruby walking back over to her parents once they were gone.

"Can I go to Uncle Jay and Uncle Adam's this weekend?" she asked, still pretty mad about her parents' decision. She knew that going to see her uncles would help her blow off steam.

"Yeah, that's fine," Jeff answered. "I'll book the flight tonight."

"Thanks," she said, kissing both of them on the cheek. She really hated being mad at her parents, but she just couldn't understand why they were so against her going to the States.

Maybe her uncles could give her some help.

TBC

* * *

I know this chapter was pretty short and I'm sorry about that. I'd like to say that the next chapter will be longer, but I can't promise that. Thank you so so much to everyone reading and to JoMoFan-spot for encouraging me with her review! Let me know what you guys think...


	3. Chapter 2

"I just don't get it, Uncle Adam. I don't get it. My entire life my parents have been hellbent on keeping me out of the States. Why? It just doesn't make sense."

Adam offered his "niece" a small smile. He knew the day would come eventually when Ruby would start demanding answers. It looked like they had all finally run out of time and excuses.

She'd have to be told the truth, but he damn sure wasn't going to be the one having that conversation with her. That was Jeff and Phil's call.

So, he tried to simply diffuse the young girl's frustration.

"You know they just worry about you..." he trailed off, casting a glance at Jay, who was occupied with working on submission reversals with his students. Adam knew Jay would be much better than he was at knowing what to say.

"But why is it just the States, though? That's the part that makes no sense! I mean...both of them are from there. They were born there, they grew up there, and they managed to survive to be fully-functioning adults. It's not like the entire country is a damn war zone or anything!"

Adam had to chuckle a little bit to himself. Given her situation, Ruby's accent was a unique one. It often shifted depending on how fast she was talking or on certain words. She somehow combined a typical Canadian accent with Phil's Illinois pronunciation of certain words and occasionally Jeff's southern twang slipping out. Adam thought it was adorable.

"I know, I know," he finally said gently. "It's just a sore spot for both of them. Bad memories..."

"Does it have anything to do with _the incident_?"

That was how she had always referred to the big "family secret," something that had driven her mad with curiosity over the years.

All she knew was that _something _had happened years ago. Something very very bad. Other than that, it seemed that everyone was conspiring together to make sure she never learned any more details.

The most she had gotten was from her Uncle Matt, who finally confessed to her that whatever "it" was that happened was something involving her parents, Adam, and Jay.

Needless to say, Phil and Jeff both about ripped his head off for even telling her that much.

Ever since, Ruby had begged any and everyone to tell her the truth, but no one budged. They all said she would find out when she was older. Well, she was sixteen now. She didn't see any more reason to keep her in the dark.

Adam sighed, knowing the time for the talk was drawing closer and closer.

"Yeah," he finally answered. "That's exactly what it has to do with."

Ruby nodded to herself, knowing better than to ask him _again _for the full story.

She'd have to wait until she got home and finally confront her parents about it.

Just then, Jay dismissed his students for the day, talking to a few of them for a bit before walking over to his husband and his "niece."

"Hey! Look who it is!" he exclaimed with a smile as he pulled the girl into a strong hug and kissed her on the head.

"Hey, baby," he murmured as he leaned in to kiss Adam gently on the lips.

"Hey," Adam smiled. "You worked your ass off today." Jay chuckled and shrugged, nonchalant about his hard work as always.

"Uncle Jay?" Ruby finally asked, pulling out the puppy dog eyes and sticking out her bottom lip.

Of course, it didn't have the sure fire effect it always did on her papa, but she knew it could still work.

Jay sighed. "Alright, get in."

With a bright grin, Ruby raced over to the ring and slid in under the bottom rope.

"Phil is gonna kill me," Jay mumbled to Adam as he pulled out an old mattress and slid it into the ring so he could show Ruby some moves.

Adam chuckled and watched. He knew Ruby didn't want to be a wrestler, but from the first taped match she had watched when she was just three years old, she was hooked. She became an instant fan, which had lasted throughout the years. After some begging, Phil and Jeff had finally shown her some basic moves, but Ruby had always wanted to try out different things.

Phil never failed to shoot a glare to Jeff every time she asked.

A 'This is all your fault. She got this from you' look.

As Adam watched Jay explain the flashpoint to the girl, he had to admit that she was a natural.

* * *

Later that night, after Ruby had been set up in one of the guest rooms, Adam and Jay were laying in bed, Jay absentmindedly rubbing his lover's back as Adam lay against his chest, both silently thinking.

"You think they'll tell her?" Adam finally asked, breaking the silence.

Jay let out a sigh, really thinking about his answer.

"I honestly don't know. I mean I know she's stubborn enough to push until they finally do, but it's just that they both want so much to keep her away from all of that. They can't keep her in the dark forever, but I know bringing everything up again is gonna kill both of them."

"Yeah," Adam agreed quietly. "Jeff told me he _still _has nightmares about it once in a while. He wakes up in the middle of the night and clings to Phil so tight that he thinks he's gonna crush him."

At Jay's silence, Adam looked up at him, seeing his lips curled under.

"Yeah," Jay finally let out hoarsely. "Me too."

"You what?" Adam asked in confusion.

"I still have nightmares about it sometimes. Not often or anything, but it still happens some nights."

Adam's eyes grew slightly and a tinge of sadness came to their surface.

"Jay...why didn't you ever tell me?"

Jay shrugged. "I didn't want to bring it up. I didn't want to worry you."

Adam released a frustrated sigh. He knew the need to protect him was an innate part of Jay, but that didn't mean that he didn't still long to take it away sometimes.

"But let's not dwell on that, okay?" Jay cut in on his thoughts. "You're out, we're together, life is good."

Adam laughed before bringing himself up to kiss Jay firmly, huge grin still on his face. As his husband rolled them over, he couldn't help but think that despite everything, life was perfect.

* * *

After two awesome days with her uncles, Ruby returned home Sunday night. She decided to keep the peace and not bring anything up with her parents until the next day.

TBC

* * *

I know after such a long wait I owe you a chapter much longer than this, but this one was just so hard to write for some reason. The next one will be coming much sooner and if it has everything in it I plan, then it will be much longer too. Thank you so much for sticking with me!


	4. Chapter 3

Ruby spent the entire day in school on Monday trying to come up with a plan.

She knew her dad would be home before her since the landscaping job he had that day was in the morning. He didn't have any of his after school art sessions on Mondays, so she figured that as long as she caught him before he decided to leave and visit her papa at work, she would have time to talk to him.

She figured it was best to start out on just one of them at a time. She knew otherwise she'd fail. The two of them never failed to back each other up.

As she approached the house, she saw her dad's truck out front, letting her know he was home. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and slowly stepped in.

* * *

Closing the door behind her, she heard banging coming from the kitchen, signaling that was where her father was. She walked closer and couldn't help but laugh at the absolute mess.

Her dad was undoubtedly a great cook...He just wasn't the neatest one in the world.

"Daddy, what are you doing?"

He looked up and smiled at her.

"Hey! I'm just trying to get everything started so I can make your father's favorites for dinner later."

Though she knew what kind of answer she would get, she asked anyway. "What's the occasion? It's not his birthday or your anniversary or anything..."

Jeff just shrugged nonchalantly and finished up his preparations. "Just wanted to. He deserves it. He's been working really hard lately."

Ruby smiled to herself. That was how it tended to be around her house. One of her parents would do something amazing for the other, whether a minor act or a major one, for no reason whatsoever. Just because they loved them and thought they deserved it.

'Such saps!' she joked in her head.

Once Jeff was finished in the kitchen, he turned in her direction. Ruby felt this was her moment.

"Daddy, listen. You know how hard I've worked in school. And I'm 16 years old. I know how the world works and how to be responsible. That's why I think you should let me go on the trip with my class. It's an educational experience! We'll be seeing all the sites of the historical events we've been learning about! And there'll be plenty of adults with us. We would be fine!"

"No," Jeff said instantly, his voice changing quickly from his normal calm, peaceful tone to stern and short.

"But Dad!" Ruby was getting angry now, her own voice becoming harder. "You're not even listening to reason! Tell me why I can't go to the States. Tell me! I know it has to do with whatever happened to you guys and Uncle Adam and Uncle Jay years ago, so you might as well just tell me what it is. I'm old enough to handle it now. Tell me. Why?! Why can't I go?! What happened?! Why?!"

"BECAUSE I ALMOST LOST HIM!"

* * *

The entire house was silent. It was as if the whole world were standing still.

Phil, who had just gotten home, froze in the doorway, his hand still on the knob. He didn't know what was going on, but he had a sinking suspicion. He chose to stay where he was, out of sight of both his lover and his daughter, and just wait to see what happened.

Ruby had no idea what to make of this. Her dad had never screamed at her like that before.

He'd yelled at her, of course, but this was different. Much different.

He didn't seem angry; it was like he was in pain. She could hear it in his voice and see it clearly written on his face.

She finally figured she should be the one to break the silence. She began cautiously, as if approaching a wounded animal.

"What are you talking about, Daddy? What do you mean you almost lost him? And you almost lost who? I don't understand."

It was when his eyes started to get slightly damp and he struggled to find words that she began to get scared.

What had she done? What had she unleashed?

Phil knew that he needed to make his presence known. He walked over and took Jeff's slightly shaking hand in his, earning a grateful smile from his love.

"Jeff," he said quietly, resisting the words that were about to come out of his mouth but knowing that they were true. "We have to tell her. It's time."

Taking a deep breath, Jeff nodded, giving his baby's hand a firm squeeze.

He turned back to his daughter. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I shouldn't have screamed at you like that. I'm so sorry."

Ruby immediately waved it off. "Don't worry about it; it's nothing. Just are you okay?"

Jeff nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I guess it's just time to let you know the truth." He let out a wary sigh. "Why don't you go sit down? I just gotta run and get something."

* * *

As Ruby took a seat on the couch, she watched as her dad ascended the stairs, her papa instantly following behind him wordlessly.

It wasn't long before they were back, a disk in hand.

She watched as they put it in the stereo, but didn't play it just yet. They took a seat on the other end of the couch. She couldn't help but notice how they were sitting.

They both always had some kind of physical contact at every opportunity, but there was something about this time.

Jeff was sitting on the couch, Phil in his lap, but he was curled into Jeff as much as possible, his arms wrapped around his neck and his head securely snuggled into his shoulder.

"Ruby," Jeff finally started. "do you remember when your class was learning about the controversial laws in the US that were enacted around 2011/2012?"

"You mean the ones that put gay and bisexual people in jail and "treatment centers" to try to "cure" them or torture them? Yeah, of course I remember them. The whole time we were learning about them I kept thinking about you guys. Everybody else too. Chris and AJ...Amy and Trish...but what does that have to do with "the incident"?"

Jeff sighed. "I know you know where your father and I are both from, but did we ever tell you when we came here?"

Ruby shook her head.

"2012. It got too dangerous. And after...we had to escape."

"After what?" the young girl asked desperately. It took her a second, but Jeff and Phil could see the moment when realization finally hit her, her eyes growing wide.

"No," she said quietly, her eyes dashing from one of her parents to the other. "No. You...you mean...you guys...?"

"Not both of us. Just me. And your Uncle Adam too."

Phil lifted his head and quietly murmured the first words he had spoken since they had all sat down.

"But...how? I...Oh my god..." As hard as she tried, Ruby couldn't find words. There were just too many thoughts buzzing around in her head at once.

"We have something we want you to listen to," Jeff quietly cut in. "When it finishes, we'll both tell you our side."

As he hit play, Adam's voice filled the room.

_Hey, guys. I hate to tell you this, but today is gonna be one of my music-free days..._

* * *

After listening to her uncle's tape and completely bursting into tears, Ruby sat and listened to both of her parents tell her everything each of them had gone through during those horrible two weeks.

Numerous times throughout both the recording and their stories, they had to stop so Ruby could collect herself or launch herself at one or both of them, engulfing them in vise-like hugs.

They eventually got through everything, with Phil and Jeff explaining that that was why both of them were so scared to send her to the States. They told her they would think about their decision, but at least she knew now that they did have their reasons after all.

Ruby nodded mutely. She wasn't even thinking about the trip right now.

She just couldn't believe what they had gone through. Her parents _and _her uncles. This was something she learned about in her history book. Not something real. Something that touched her very life.

But it was. This was real. As real as it gets. This was her family.

And yet, as unbelievable as it seemed, it all made sense.

The way her parents acted with and treated one another. The way her uncles were with each other. How close the four of them had always been, even though they lived hours away from each other in different provinces.

She thought back to times throughout her life, so many moments making sense, having so much more meaning. It was like she was looking at her life from an entirely different perspective.

One of the moments that stuck out the strongest was from only five years before.

* * *

_It was just after five o'clock when her papa came through the door. Ruby and her friends Lisa and Jeremy, all in sixth grade at the time, were in the living room working on a project for school._

_Phil came into the room, greeting all the kids when he looked around before turning to Ruby._

"_Where's your dad?"_

"_I don't know. He must still be working, right?" she had answered distractedly, focusing on her project. But when she didn't get a response, she looked up at her papa again._

_She'd never forget the look on his face. Eyes wide with utter fear._

"_What do you mean you don't know? He hasn't been home at all yet? His job was supposed to finish at 1! He should have been here hours ago!"_

_He immediately pulled out his phone. After getting Jeff's voicemail five times, he turned on his heel and began calling everyone he could think of who might have seen him that day._

_He didn't know where his job was today, just that it was far and practically in the middle of nowhere, so he couldn't go out and look for him. And on top of that, the people whose house he was working on were out of town._

_He tried to keep his darkest thoughts at bay, but he couldn't help the sinking feeling that even if he could get to that house, he wouldn't find him._

_The laws in the States may have been repealed for 7 years now, but that didn't help Phil's paranoia._

_They still could have taken him. Found out his identity at long last and made him pay for escaping the hotel room all those years ago._

_He knew he'd probably sound crazy if anyone could hear his thoughts, but he didn't care. They didn't know what people were capable of._

Ruby remembers him calling Adam last, tears in his eyes as he spoke quietly in the other room.

_After hanging up his phone, he had gone out onto the porch and simply sat there, staring out at their land. Just hoping and waiting for his love to materialize._

At the time, Ruby didn't understand. She had just gone back to her work, occasionally casting her father worried glances as he failed to move from his spot outside.

_It was when it had started to get dark that she began to get worried. About both of them._

_She walked outside and placed a hand on her father's shoulder. He looked up at her briefly before giving her hand a squeeze._

"_Papa, why don't you come inside? It's freezing out here."_

_He merely shook his head, not even moving his eyes this time._

"_No...I'm waiting for him. I have to wait for him."_

_Shaking her head sadly, she went back inside, returning shortly with one of his hoodies and a blanket._

"_Here. At least keep yourself warm."_

_He took the items from her, finally offering her his eyes again._

"_Thank you, baby," he said with the smallest of smiles._

_She went back inside, even more worried than before. She had always seen her dad as invincible, which was why she hadn't thought much about his absence until now. The idea that something might have happened to him hadn't even crossed her mind as a possibility. Now, though, it started to seem more and more like a reality._

_She made a frozen pizza for herself and her friends, who had offered to stay with her, knowing she was worried about her parents. She went outside again to bring Phil a couple pieces before going back inside again. "You need to eat something," she had said._

_It was around ten o'clock when a truck pulled up. Before it was even fully in park, the passenger door swung open and out jumped Jeff, making a sprint for the house._

_Phil was immediately to his feet. Ruby had to give him credit. At his age, she hadn't expected him to leap over the railing of the porch, land on his feet, and break into a mad run._

She remembers watching from the window, just silently observing them.

_Phil leapt up into Jeff's arms, legs around his waist and arms thrown around his neck, sobbing into his neck._

"_I'm so sorry, baby. I'm so sorry." He knew what Phil must have been thinking this whole time, and he felt horrible that he hadn't been able to at the very least call and reassure him that he was okay._

_Phil lifted his head and pulled his love in for deep, passionate kisses._

_Their tongues dueled until they had to pull away for air._

"_You're freezing, baby," said Jeff as he petted Phil's hair. "Let's get you inside. We gotta get you warm."_

Ruby remembers them coming in, her papa refusing to let go of her dad for even a minute.

_Jeff carried Phil upstairs and started the water for a hot shower. They cleaned each other gently but thoroughly while the water warmed them up._

_After they had dressed, they came back downstairs, Jeff carrying Phil once again as the younger man kept his face buried in Jeff's neck._

_Ruby took it upon herself to heat up some of the leftover pizza and brought it over to the two of them, who were snuggled on the couch._

"_Thank you, sweetheart," Jeff said with a smile._

_Ruby couldn't help but return it with a relieved one of her own, throwing her arms around his neck._

"_I'm just glad you're home. We were worried about you."_

* * *

It turned out that her dad's truck had broken down on his way home from the job and his phone had died about a half hour earlier, so he was stranded in the middle of nowhere, just walking the road by himself for hours before a random old man stopped and offered to give him a ride home.

Looking back on that whole event now, she could only imagine how terrified her papa must have been, just waiting for her dad to come home and hoping with all his might that something hadn't happened to him.

She soon went to her room while Phil and Jeff went to the kitchen so Jeff could finish cooking and Phil could...well...just watch him. And talk to him. Just be with him.

They had a lot of thinking to do tonight.

TBC

* * *

A longer chapter, yay! I just hope it makes sense and doesn't seem disjointed. Hope you guys like it. Thank you again so much to all of you for sticking with me.


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